An ink jet printer is described below as one example of an ink jet recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus. For mounting an ink cartridge on an ink jet printer, a relatively great pressing force is required. In this case, for ink cartridges, one for each color, a pressing force of the order of 4.9 N to 6.9 N is sufficient, but for a single-package ink cartridge, which is an integrated ink cartridge for a plurality of colors, for example, for a six-color ink cartridge, seven needles are provided and thus a significantly great pressing force of 34.3 N to 48.3 N is required. Such a great pressing force is barely possible in the case of vertical mounting of an ink cartridge. Unfortunately, if the ink cartridge is required to be horizontally slid to be mounted, the ink jet printer would be strained, so such mounting is practically impossible.
Patent Document 1 describes an ink-cartridge attaching and detaching device that can obtain a great pressing force by leverage. That is, turning of a lever for attaching and detaching an ink cartridge is transmitted to a link plate, thus allowing a link lever to be unlocked and the ink cartridge to be mounted on a holder. Unfortunately, however, this device has been developed specifically for the mounting of ink cartridges, one for each color, so the device does not have a great force adaptable to a single-package ink cartridge, which is an integrated cartridge for a plurality of colors. In addition, the provision of a lever for attaching and detaching an ink cartridge and a link plate for each of ink cartridges leads to an increase in the number of parts and thus results in an increase in the cost of parts.
During and after being mounted, an ink cartridge receives from a channel member connected thereto a force for restoring the ink cartridge. As a result, unless the ink cartridge is mounted by a pressing force greater than that force and the state is maintained, a gap is generated between both, a contact on each of the ink cartridge and the channel member is misaligned, and the remaining amount of ink cannot be detected. Variations in tolerances of dimensions of parts also cause the misalignment of the contacts. Unfortunately, Patent Document 1 does not disclose an arrangement for ensuring such a great pressing force and an intimate contact state.
Additionally, as a flat-shape ink cartridge, as illustrated in FIG. 29, an attaching and detaching device 500 for mounting an ink cartridge 508 by latching both left and right sides of the ink cartridge 508 is known. Specifically, first, when the ink cartridge 508 is inserted in a direction indicated the arrow, latch projections 555a of a pair of left and right cartridge holding units 555 are moved toward the ink-cartridge side and engage with a pair of left and right depressions 508a of the ink cartridge 508. Then, an operation of turning a lever arm (not shown) presses the ink cartridge 508 by a predetermined stroke. In association therewith, ink supply needles 502 on a channel section 501 are pressed into needle insertion openings 508b of the ink cartridge 508, and mounting of the ink cartridge 508 is completed.
However, in order to smoothly insert the ink cartridge 508, an ink-cartridge insertion opening 556 needs to have a dimension that is slightly greater than the width of the ink cartridge 508. Therefore, unfortunately, the ink cartridge 508 may be mounted in a so-called one-side latch state, in which, because the ink cartridge 508 is obliquely inserted, only one of the depressions 508a and only one of the latch projections 555a are engaged with each other. In other words, incorrect mounting caused by incorrect insertion may happen. As a result, the ink supply needles 502 may incorrectly pierce the ink cartridge 508, and thus ink may leak out from these points.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-157094